RV servicing & repair Australia: trusted business guide

RV servicing is no doubt an important part of ownership. Caravans, camper vans, motorhomes and camper trailers serve as a home away from home. Depending on the age and type, most of these RVs offer a range of features and facilities that aren’t so dissimilar to the everyday household. And just like a house, RVs need regular maintenance (and the occasional repair-job) to ensure that all moving parts remain in good working condition. To help make your life as an RV owner easier, we’ve created this general guide to servicing and repairing your freedom machine. Not sure which local RV servicing / repair company to trust? Along with a few general tips, we’ve compiled a long list of Australian RV servicing & repair businesses with great Google reviews.

Part 1: How often should you service your RV?

As an RV owner, you probably already know that servicing your caravan or motorhome is quite an important and expensive decision. The ongoing expense of maintaining a healthy RV often comes as a shock to first-time RV owners -- especially after forking out tens, or even hundreds, of thousands on the purchase of a new van. Alas, caravan and motorhome servicing definitely isn’t something you should ignore.

Generally speaking, there are two types of caravan services; the first service and the annual service. Pretty astounding stuff, huh? Actually, the first caravan service is often touted as the most important service of a van’s lifetime. It is generally undertaken within the first 12 months of ownership or when the RV travels to a distance of around 2000 kilometres (whichever comes first). Although the first service is quite basic, it is often one that highlights any signs of abnormal weakness or concern. With RVs being churned out at speeds quicker than ever, sometimes minor faults can occur.

Annual servicing will likely depend on the manufacturer of the RV and, of course, the RV type in question. Generally speaking, annual RV servicing should occur at least once per year, or every 10,000 kilometres (whichever comes first). Even if your van has been sitting idle and wasting money for months, you should still give it the attention it needs. Annual servicing will ensure that your next family camping trip is damageless and stress-free.

Part 2: General tips for maintaining your own RV

If you want to keep on top of your caravan servicing, you no doubt need to be both organised and knowledgeable. That said, if you’re ever unsure about anything to do with your prized asset, remember the number 1 rule: ask your local caravan and motorhome servicing expert. That aside, you’re welcome to observe these general tips for maintaining your caravan, camper trailer, motorhome and camper van.

RV Maintenance Tip # 1 - Keep your RV undercover

If you aren’t using your RV very often, we suggest storing it in an undercover area, or under a purpose-built protective cover, if possible. If you don’t have a place, or the necessary resources to store your RV safely, you may consider putting it in one of these **29 best caravan storage places**we could find. Covering your RV protects it from the elements and reduces the risk of damage from falling debris. Prevention is the best cure -- as they say!

RV Maintenance Tip # 2 - Pay close attention to seals

Caravan door seals, window seals, pop-top seals, boot/tailgate seals and any other moisture protective seals should be checked for leaks regularly. Generally speaking, the older the seal, the more likely it is to leak. Seals often deteriorate after withstanding hot, dry and dusty conditions, becoming cracked in the process. Another common cause of damage comes from regular opening and closing of sealed areas, like doors, windows and hatches.

RV Maintenance Tip # 3 - Never neglect the engine (Motorhomes & Campervans)

There aren’t many worse feelings than being broken down on the side of the road during your ‘relaxing holiday’. And, trust us, you don’t want to regret that time you decided “nah, she’ll be right” when noticing that your engine was due for a service. Look after your motorhome engine by making sure the oil is changed on time, coolant is refilled and all other fluids are topped up accordingly. Remember, a well-serviced engine ensures you’ll have a safe, stress-free and more fuel efficient holiday. Book a service with your most trusted local service centre, before you regret it!

RV Maintenance Tip # 4 - Keep it clean

Allowing dirt and grime to build up on your RV can lead to serious surface damage if you don’t treat it properly. Cleaning your caravan really doesn’t take much effort, especially if you follow tip number 1 (storing it undercover). It’s important to ensure you’ve got the correct cleaning tools and agents. If you buy the wrong type, you’re risking damage to sensitive surfaces. Unsure? Remember the number 1 rule: ask your local caravan servicing and repairs expert.

RV Maintenance Tip # 5 - Don’t let your RV sit idle for months upon end

Leaving your RV sitting unused for extended periods can, believe it or not, actually cause damage -- especially if you haven’t kept it clean! The answer? Get your van out on the road! Shake off the cobwebs and get some charge in those batteries. Indeed, leaving your van idle for too long will actually drain the ‘house’ batteries to the point of permanent damage. And new batteries don’t come cheap these days. Therefore, it is wise to keep idle batteries plugged into a certified battery management system / charger. Also, before you go away on a long trip, we advise getting your battery tested to make sure it is holding charge. If you’re a caravan, camper trailer or motorhome owner and this tip really resonates with you, have you considered hiring out your RV while it isn’t being used? We know of a company.

RV Maintenance Tip # 6 - Check the tyres periodically

Poor tyre maintenance is one of the most common causes of caravan accidents in Australia. Age, excess sun and, obviously, road wear will affect the condition of your caravan and motorhome tyres. Therefore, it’s very important to keep a close eye on your tyres -- especially if you haven’t used your van in a while. If you see any cracks or unusual depressions in your tyres, it’s time for a change. A general rule of thumb in the caravanning industry is to avoid using tyres that are older than 5 years, even if they don’t appear to be showing many signs of wear or damage. Your local caravan servicing expert will be able to determine this for you. Yes, new tyres always seem to cost more than you thought, but why even take the risk? Besides, better tyres will contribute towards better fuel economy and stability.

Part 3: How to find a good RV servicing and repair company?

Finding a great, trustworthy and affordable RV servicing and repair company can be a bit of a 'hit and miss' exercise. Our advice? Do your research before settling. Ask your caravanning buddies where they go, check online reviews and testimonials, communicate with a number of different organisations to get a better feel for their knowledge, confidence, price and advice.

Although we may not have first-hand experience with many of the caravan and motorhome repair companies below, we do however place a considerable amount of trust in the experiences and testimonials of the wider community. After all, we are Australia's largest RV sharing community.

In turn, we’ve created a directory of RV servicing and repair companies with Google Review Ratings of four stars and higher**. They’re categorised by region to make your life a little easier.

**At the time of writing this article (May, 2017)

P.S. If you know of a great RV servicing / repairs company near you, we’d love to hear about it! And hey, we may even add them to this directory! Contact us!

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN SYDNEY

Company Name: RVs R US

Address: 4/10 Polo Ave Monavale 2103

Phone: 0419 630 130 / 02 9446 0930

Website: http://www.rvsrus.net.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: I AND D INDUSTRIES

Address: 4/3 Richard Close, North Rocks, NSW 2151

Phone: 02 9630 2426

Website: http://www.ianddindustries.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: SYDNEY RV GROUP

Address: 9 – 20 Lemko Place (Off Castlereagh Rd.) Penrith, NSW 2750

Phone: (02) 4722 3444

Website: http://www.sydneyrvgroup.com.au/repairs

GOOGLE RATING: 4/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS ON THE CENTRAL COAST

Company Name: CENTRAL COAST CARAVANS

Address: 10 Boswell Close, Tuggerah NSW 2259

Phone: +61 2 4353 1895

Website: http://www.centralcoastcaravans.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: COASTAL CARAVAN CLINIC

Address: 5 Gibbens Rd, West Gosford, NSW 2250

Phone: (02) 4325 2022

Website: http://www.coastalcaravanclinic.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 4.4/5

Company Name: ALL ABOUT CARAVAN REPAIRS

Address: 2 McPherson Road, Tuggerah NSW 2259

Phone: 02 4355 4505

Website: http://www.allaboutcaravanrepairs.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN NEWCASTLE

Company Name: NEWCASTLE CARAVAN REPAIRS

Address: 63 Pendlebury Rd, Cardiff NSW 2285

Phone: 02 4956 6036

Website: http://www.newcastlecaravanrepairs.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: LAKE MACQUARIE CARAVAN REPAIRS

Address: 6/5 Pavilion Pl, Cardiff NSW 2285, Australia

Phone: (02) 4954 6054

Website: http://lmcr.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING 4.8/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN PORT MACQUARIE

Company Name: CARAMART CARAVANS & TRAILERS

Address: 176 Gordon Street, Port Macquarie NSW 2444

Phone: 02 6584 5799

Website: http://www.caramart.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN COFFS HARBOUR

Company Name: ABCO CARAVAN SERVICES

Phone: 02 6651 2445

Address: 6 Collison Place, (PO Box 8014), Coffs Harbour NSW 2450

Website: http://www.abcocaravans.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN BYRON BAY

Company Name: ALSTONVILLE CARAVAN REPAIRS

Address: Unit 4/5 Russellton Drive, Russellton Industrial Estate ALSTONVILLE 2477 NSW

Phone: 02 6628 5250

Website: http://alstonvillecaravanrepairs.com.au

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS ON THE GOLD COAST

Company Name: THE CARAVAN REPAIR COMPANY

Address: 10 Greg Chappell Dr, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220

Phone: (07) 5593 7486

Website: http://www.thecaravanrepaircompany.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: CARAVAN REPAIR SHOP

Address: 27 Sinclair St, Arundel QLD 4214

Phone: (07) 5500 5213

Website: http://www.caravanrepairshop.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: EAST COAST RVs

Address: 8/10 Commercial Dr, Ashmore QLD 4214

Phone: (07) 5528 2900

Website: http://www.eastcoastrvs.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 4/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN BRISBANE

Company Name: CARAVAN REPAIRS AND SERVICE

Address: 1/3281 Logan Rd, Underwood QLD 4119

Phone: (07) 3841 7383

Website: http://www.caravanrepairsandservice.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: CARAVAN REPAIR SERVICES

Address: 1/74 Perrin Dr, Underwood QLD 4119

Phone: (07) 3209 5044

Website: https://www.caravanservices.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 4.8/5

Company Name: ALL BRAND CARAVAN SERVICES

Address: 113 Connaught St, Sandgate QLD 4017

Phone: (07) 3869 2969

Website: http://www.allbrandcs.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: B AND B CARAVAN SERVICE & REPAIRS

Address: 5/36 Deakin St, Brendale QLD 4500

Phone: (07) 3881 3884

Website: http://caravanrepairsbrisbane.com/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS ON THE SUNSHINE COAST

Company Name: SUNCOAST CARAVAN SERVICE

Address: 33 Fishermans Rd, Kuluin QLD 4558

Phone: (07) 5443 1036

Website: http://www.suncoastcaravanservice.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 4.9/5

Company Name: COASTAL CARAVAN SERVICE & REPAIRS

Address: 38b Page St, Kunda Park QLD 4556

Phone: (07) 5456 2456

Website: http://www.coastalcaravanrepairs.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN CAIRNS

Company Name: CAIRNS CARAVAN ACCESSORIES:

Address: 22A Redden St, Cairns City QLD 4870

Phone: (07) 4035 1981

Website: http://www.cairnscaravanaccessories.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS ON THE NSW SOUTH COAST

Company Name: NOWRA RV CENTRE

Address: Rear, 146 Princes Hwy, South Nowra NSW 2541

Phone: (02) 4421 4565

Website: http://www.nowrarv.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN MELBOURNE

Company Name: ADVANTAGE CARAVAN REPAIRS

Address: 23 Thornycroft St, Campbellfield VIC 3061

Phone: (03) 8339 0772

Website: http://www.advantagecaravanrepairs.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 4.2/5

Company Name: ACE CARAVAN REPAIRS

Address: 33 Taunton Dr, Cheltenham VIC 3192

Phone: (03) 8524 1076

Website: https://acecaravanrepairs.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: EVERYTHING CARAVANS

Address: 24 Eileen Rd, Clayton South VIC 3169

Phone: (03) 9574 1900

Website: http://www.everythingcaravans.com.au

GOOGLE RATING: 4.1/5

Company Name: SWIFT CARAVAN SERVICES:

Address: 114-142 Colchester Rd, Kilsyth VIC 3137

Phone: (03) 9729 8477

Website: http://swiftcaravanservices.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN GIPPSLAND

Company Name: WARRAGUL RV CENTRE

Address: 14 Endeavour St, Warragul VIC 3820

Phone: (03) 5623 4104

Website: http://www.milnerscaravans.com.au

GOOGLE RATING: 4.5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN CANBERRA

Company Name: LLOYDS CARAVAN REPAIRS AND SERVICE CANBERRA

Address: Unit 1/57 Tennant St, Fyshwick ACT 2609

Phone: 0438 800 652

Website: https://www.caravanscanberra.com/

GOOGLE RATING: 4.3 / 5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN ADELAIDE

Company Name: ADELAIDE CARAVAN DOCTOR

Address: 6 Rothesay Ave, St Marys SA 5042

Phone: (08) 8276 7008

Website: http://www.adelaidecaravandoctor.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 4.7/5

Company Name: CARA-REST SUPPLIES & REPAIRS

Address: Gate 2, 64 Grand Junction Rd, Kilburn SA 5084

Phone: (08) 8162 5013

Website: http://www.cararest.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 4/5

Company Name: ROADMASTER CARAVANS

Address: 4/10 Dorset St, Lonsdale SA 5160

Phone: (08) 8384 6011

Website: http://www.roadmastercaravans.com.au

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN PERTH

Company Name: THE CARAVAN SHED

Address: 1/28 Hammond Rd, Cockburn Central WA 6164

Phone: (08) 9417 8828

Website: http://www.thecaravanshed.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

Company Name: NORTHSIDE CARAVAN REPAIRS & SPARES

Address: 2/22 Dellamarta Rd, Wangara WA 6065

Phone: (08) 9408 0986

Website: https://www.northsidecaravansrepairsandspares.com/

GOOGLE RATING 4.3/5

Company Name: PDA CARAVAN REPAIRS

Address: 220 Maddington Rd, Maddington WA 6109

Phone: (08) 9493 5891

Website: http://www.pdacaravanrepairs.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 5/5

RV SERVICING & REPAIRS IN DARWIN

Company Name: NORTHERN VAN REPAIRS

Address: 58 Hamaura Rd, East Arm NT 0822

Phone: (08) 8947 1454

Website: http://northernvanrepairs.com.au

GOOGLE RATING: 4.7/5

Company Name: BTC PARTS & ACCESSORIES

Address: 878 Stuart Hwy, Pinelands NT 0829

Phone: (08) 8932 6777

Website: http://www.btcpartsdarwin.com.au/

GOOGLE RATING: 4/5

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